Effectively, right here it’s, people. That is our remaining transaction evaluation piece of the 2025 commerce deadline, and we’re overlaying two outfielders who will now be in place to assist playoff contenders. On Thursday, the Dodgers acquired outfielder Alex Name from the Nationals in change for pitching prospects Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Liñan. And the Reds traded with the A’s for veteran Miguel Andujar, sending again pitching prospect Kenya Huggins, so certainly not can we accuse Cincinnati of prospect hugging.
We’ll begin with the Dodgers-Nationals deal. Right here’s my evaluation: Alex Name is fairly good. He might help the Dodgers win. You’re welcome. ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke information of the deal, whereas Andrew Golden of the Washington Put up reported the names of the pitchers headed to Washington.
To the continued and presumably everlasting chagrin of Baseball Prospectus editor-in-chief Craig Goldstein, Name is not going to be merely taking on Michael Conforto’s spot in left area. Earlier on Thursday, the Dodgers traded the lefty-hitting James Outman to the Twins in change for reliever Brock Stewart, leaving an area for the right-handed Name as a fourth outfielder and sure platoon associate for Conforto. When you put the 2 trades collectively to match apples to apples, you get Name for Outman (and Stewart for 2 prospects). Name is three years older than Outman, with roughly the identical quantity of service time. He’s hitting significantly better than Outman proper now and permits the Dodgers to get one other right-handed bat within the lineup, however he affords a bit much less upside sooner or later.
Name is 30 years previous, and he has a profession 102 wRC+ in 920 plate appearances. He’s been considerably higher this season, operating a 118 wRC+. He doesn’t have wild platoon splits both. This season, he has a 124 wRC+ towards lefties and a 115 wRC+ towards righties. Over his profession, these numbers are 110 towards lefties and 97 towards righties. Conforto has significantly better profession numbers towards righties, however this season, he solely has a wRC+ of 85 towards them. It wouldn’t be unreasonable in any respect to simply plug Name in because the beginning left fielder and name it a day, and it might make Craig so completely satisfied.
Name has a fame for velocity and protection, however it’s value at the least noting that his dash velocity has declined some this season, and his protection has graded out nearer to common thus far. It’s doable that he’ll get a few of that velocity again, as he’s lower than a yr out from a tear within the plantar fascia of his left foot. Regardless, he ought to be capable of maintain down all three outfield positions when known as upon. With James Wooden, Dylan Crews, and extra not too long ago, call-up Daylen Lile within the outfield, Name not seemed like part of Washington’s future. On the opposite aspect, the Dodgers have made a good improve to an outfield that has come up only a bit brief all season.
Swan is a 23-year-old right-handed starter, and at 6-foot-6 with a fastball that hits 100 mph and iffy management, he actually appears to be like like a Washington Nationals prospect. He didn’t put up good numbers in faculty, and he hasn’t put up good numbers within the minors on account of wild stroll totals, however did you hear me say that he was 6’6” and may throw a hundo? Swan’s 4.43 ERA and 4.34 FIP this season mark huge enhancements from 2024, however he’s nonetheless an enormous growth challenge. Eric Longenhagen ranked him thirteenth within the Dodgers system with a forty five future worth again in April, however he now downgraded Swan to a 40+ as a result of he appears to be like extra prone to find yourself as a reliever.
That mentioned, Swan might be a reasonably good reliever. Proper now, Eric has a 70-grade on Swan’s slider. He can hit the zone with it, and its whiff fee is approaching 50%. The fastball is sitting 96, however it’s enjoying down and he isn’t throwing strikes with it. It’d find yourself as a pitch that’s solely good for making an attempt to draw whiffs above the zone. However that’s as a starter. If Swan finally ends up as a max-effort reliever, a plus-plus slider and a high-90s fastball might work simply nice.
The Venezuelan-born Liñan is 20 years previous, and also you received’t learn something about him that doesn’t begin and finish along with his changeup. Eric put a 55 current worth on the pitch again in April, when he ranked Liñan thirtieth within the Dodgers system with a 40 FV. Liñan has moved across the minors a bit this season, starting in Low-A, making two spot begins in Triple-A, then taking place to Excessive-A. He bought shelled in a kind of Triple-A begins, besides, he’s bought an general ERA of two.78 and FIP of three.29 in 18 appearances and 14 begins throughout these three ranges. He’s strolling greater than 10% of the batters he’s going through, however he’s additionally placing out almost a 3rd of them. It’s value noting the atmosphere, too, as a result of they make Linan’s ERA- of 61 and FIP- of 74 look even higher. Jeffrey Paternostro of Baseball Prospectus wrote a really enjoyable article about the way to consider Liñan again in Could, and I strongly advocate it. For now the query is how Liñan will develop and whether or not he can give you anything to enhance his changeup. Eric wrote up a brand new blurb for him at this time, so I’ll give it to you verbatim:
Liñan had a dominant begin to his 2025 season and was promoted out of Low-A Rancho after only a half dozen begins. He made two emergency begins at Triple-A earlier than heading to Excessive-A Nice Lakes, the place he had been good (however not dominant) in 10 outings previous to the Alex Name commerce. Liñan’s finest pitch is his tail-action changeup, which strikes sufficient to have overwhelmed A-ball hitters thus far. He beats quite a lot of hitters along with his fastball for a man sitting 91-92, however Liñan’s command is probably not nice sufficient for that to be true towards huge league hitters. Strike-throwers with nice changeups like this have a tendency to pan out within the fifth starter vary, at the least, and if Liñan can exceed this projection it’ll be as a result of he’s both sharpened his fastball command to thrive with 40 velocity, or he’s discovered a significantly better breaking ball than the cutter he’s throwing now.
This looks like a reasonably good haul for Name. He’s an excellent participant, however he matches higher within the Dodgers’ present plans than he does within the Nationals’ future plans. Swan and Liñan are genuinely intriguing prospects who might contribute within the majors, however they’ve each bought quite a lot of growing to do.
Now let’s get to the opposite deal. After buying and selling with the Pirates for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and getting starter Zack Littell from the Rays, the Reds saved on including, sending Huggins to the A’s in change for Andujar. Ari Alexander of KPRC2 first reported the deal. Andujar is a nine-year veteran, however he’s lastly on the point of free company and is performing, which meant that on the deadline, the A’s might flip him right into a pitching prospect, the very best degree of reincarnation a being can attain in response to the faith practiced by the baseball group in Sacramento.
Andujar is nobody’s concept of a star, however he’s crushing left-handed pitching, and for a Reds group with a 79 wRC+ towards lefties, sixth worst in baseball, he should appear to be a piña colada within the desert. Andujar put up a 129 wRC+ and three.9 WAR with the Yankees as a 23-year-old rookie in 2018, ending second within the Rookie of the Yr voting behind some man named Shohei Ohtani. Within the seven years since, accidents and inconsistency have restricted Andujar to fewer than two seasons’ value of video games, and he’s put up -0.4 WAR with a mixed 86 wRC+. That mentioned, Andujar has seemed higher not too long ago. He’s operating a 107 wRC+ in 2025 and a mixed 105 wRC+ during the last three years. Andujar is batting .422 with a 186 wRC+ in 48 plate appearances towards lefties this season. These numbers will play in any lineup.
This season, Andujar has break up his time between third base and left area. The Reds have gotten simply 0.4 WAR from the third base place and 1.9 WAR from the three outfield positions, each of which rank twenty sixth amongst all groups. With Hayes becoming a member of the membership, Andujar received’t see an excessive amount of time at third, however he can mix with Noelvi Marte, who has now been moved from third base to the outfield, to platoon with lefty batters Gavin Lux and Jake Fraley. Connor Joe or Will Benson will must be despatched down as soon as TJ Friedl returns from the paternity checklist. It’s quite a lot of transferring elements for a small improve, however it’s an improve nonetheless.
The Reds drafted Huggins, a Louisiana Tech commit, out of junior faculty in 2022, and Eric ranked him twenty sixth among the many group’s prospects this Could, with a 40 FV. Nonetheless, Eric now has a 40+ grade on him, as a result of after recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure that torpedoed most of his 2023 and 2024 seasons, Huggins appears to be like extra like a starter. His changeup improved in a serious method, giving him a 3rd pitch, however there’s extra behind it. “This man’s conditioning completely modified throughout his TJ rehab,” Eric mentioned. “He’s not as huge as Sean Manaea, however he’s constructed like younger Manaea, simply an absolute unit. The higher conditioning is perhaps why his supply is extra below management now and he’s throwing strikes.”
Huggins is 22, and after the damage, he’s in his third try at Low-A with fewer than 40 skilled appearances below his belt. There’s nonetheless reliever threat right here. Nonetheless, he has a 3.69 ERA and three.64 FIP by simply over 63 innings thus far this season in Low-A Daytona, which supplies him an ERA- and FIP- of 87. “He’s somewhat behind the developmental curve and nonetheless at Low-A,” Eric mentioned, “however Huggins hasn’t been shy about mixing in all of his pitches; he’s throwing his sinking changeup (which could find yourself being his finest pitch) to righties, and he can land a backdoor slider for strikes reliably. He has quite a lot of No. 4/5 starter components now.”
This can be a minor deal, however it’s simple to see the enchantment on both aspect. Andujar’s ability set is considerably restricted, however it matches in Cincinnati and he comes at an affordable worth. The accidents make it laborious to understand how a lot Huggins will be capable of provide, however there’s actually sufficient to dream on.